Dial knitting machine



1934- R. H. LAWSON 1,949,390

DIAL KNITTING MACHINE Filed July 24. 19:51

FIG. 1.

[N YEN TOR ROBERT /1'. LA wan/v;

Pa AT ZY- Patented Feb. 27, 1934 PATENT ()FFICE DIAL KNITTING MACHINE Robert H. Lawson, Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 24, 1931. Serial No. 552,955

5 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved method of and construction for retaining needles in the dials of knitting machines. As herein shown, the machine is of a type adapted to knit complete stockings having rib tops, as well as heels and toes.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation and partly in section showing a construction of dial cap adapted to retain the dial needles in their slots; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing a dial needle in an intermediate position.

The mechanism, hereinafter to be described, includes a needle cylinder 1 provided, as usual, with vertically disposed tricks or slots within which the cylinder needles 2 are independently mounted and adapted to slide to and from yarnengaging and stitch-forming positions. The upper portion of the needle cylinder is provided with the usual stitch ring 3 and below and adjacent to the stitch ring, a sinker head 4 is shown as being attached to the needle cylinder so as to rotate therewith, the cylinder preferably being of the rotary type. A sinker cap 5, stationarily supported during a knitting of circular portions of a stocking or other fabrics, is provided with cams for controlling radial movements of sinkers (not shown). The usual or any preferred form of latch ring 6 is provided and is supported in any desired manner.

A dial 7 is provided with radial tricks or grooves within which needles 8 move to and from yarnengaging and stitch-forming positions, such needles having butts 9, which butts are adapted to be engaged and actuated by cams such as 10, the cams depending from and being carried by a dial cap 11. The dial 7 is provided on the under side thereof with an extension in the form of a boss or sleeve 12 and by means thereof is attached to a shaft 13, a screw 14 serving adjustably to retain the dial 7 in a desired vertical position of adjustment with respect to the needle cylinder 1. The shaft 13 is connected to gearing (not shown) and is thereby driven to rotate one and one with the needle cylinder; and the rotary movements of shaft 13 are transmitted to the dial '7 by means of a spline 15 which fits within a longitudinally disposed keyway 15' formed in the sleeve 12, so that regardless of the vertical position of the dial 7 with respect to the shaft 13, the dial 7 rotates with the shaft 13. The key or spline and keyway also function to align the dial and cylinder needles.

The underside of the dial cap 11 is provided with a hardened surface 16 which may be the lower face of the dial itself, or may be a plate fastened to or separate from the dial cap 11; but, in any event, the surface 16 maintains a substantially fixed position with 'respect to the dial cap 11. The dial needles at or adjacent to their inner ends are provided with additional butts or projections 17 which are higher or longer than the butts 9 and. are in constant engagement with the under face of the plate 16, whereby the dial needles 8 are retained within their grooves and prevented from tilting. At the left of Fig. 1 the dial needle is there shown at its innermost position, and at the right-hand side of said figure the dial needle is there shown as being at the outermost extremity of its radial movement, while in Fig. 2 a dial needle is shown at an intermediate position. The usual fabric take-up (not shown) exerts a downward pull on the fabric 18.and consequently on the dial needles, thereby tending to tilt the same and elevate the inner ends of the dial needles, which is objectionable. The tilting of the dial needles is prevented by the inner butts or projections on the dial needles being in constant engagement with the under face of the plate 16. In addition to the tension exerted by the fabric take-up, the new stitches 19, as they are being measured over the dial needles by the descending cylinder needles, exert a downward pull on the hook ends of the dial needles, thereby tending to tilt the same.

As is shown more particularly in Fig. 2, the projections 17 of the dial needles 8 have the edges thereof toward butts 9 beveled upwardly and inwardly as at 20. The bevel is an important feature of the present invention, in that occasionally projections 17 on adjacent needles, especially when they approach the axis of the dial, engage one another and unless the bevel be provided, projections 1'7 or butts 9 break; but by providing beveled edges 20, when a straight, vertical edge 21 of one needle engages a beveled edge 20 of an adjacent needle, such straight edge 21 slides oif the adjacent beveled edge 20, thereby permitting adjacent projections or butts 17 to pass one another without interlocking and causing a projection 17 or a butt 9 to break.

Although needles of any desired type may be utilized in the dial, as herein shown, the dial needles are of the so-called pivoted latch type, having hooks 22 and pivoted latches 23.

I claim:

1. In a knitting machine, a needle dial having needles independently mounted therein, a dial cap surmounting the dial, the needles having butts and projections which are positioned rearwardly of the said butts and which projections extend in the direction of and beyond the said butts, the projections being maintained in constant engagement with the dial cap, whereby to retain the dial needles in the dial.

2. A knitting machine needle having a butt intermediate its ends for actuation by cams and adjacent to one end thereof having a projection extending in the direction of and beyond the butt, the edge of the projection facing the butt being beveled so as to prevent interlocking of adjacent needles.

3. In a knitting machine, a needle dial having needles independently mounted therein, a dial cap having cams for controlling the movements of the dial needles, the said dial needles each having a butt for engagement by the dial cams, such butts not being of a height to contact with the dial cap, each dial needle also having a projection extending in the direction of the cap and maintained in sliding contact therewith at all times.

4. A needle having a butt adapted to be engaged by a cam, and a projection, said projection extending in the direction of and beyond the butt and having an upwardly and inwardly beveled edge'whereby interlocking of adjacent needles is prevented.

5. In a knitting machine, a slotted needle dial having needles independently mounted therein, such needles having butts, a dial cap in position to actuate the needles, a hardened surface out of contact with the butts although in contact with another portion of each needle and associated with the dial cap and maintained substantially fixed, whereby the dial needles are held in position within their slots in the dial.

ROBERT H. LAWSON. 

